


Sonorous Wavelengths

by EAceofspades



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Coffeeshop AU, College AU, Drinking, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Language, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Smut, just bullshit and shenanigans in general, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-05 16:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1095898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EAceofspades/pseuds/EAceofspades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is based off of tumblr user split-bricks college AU drawings. It's pretty much the boys going through college life trying to make a living and not killing each other in the process.<br/>In which Aoba tries to cope day-to-day life with his lame friends in his own sarcastic way and them being total dweebs 99% of the time. There's going to be plenty of humor, really bad puns, hi-jinks, and other dumb stuff that basically makes up their friendships and how the relationship with Clear goes from being friends to something a bit more</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trifles and Other Obligations

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The fucking college AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/32802) by splitbricks. 



His fingers quickly gathered fallen hair up and away from his shoulders, expertly twisting and tying it in a loose bun. Steam from the machine in front of him puffed up in his face the moment he was done with his hair, the sudden moisture making his face feel sticky almost immediately, but he managed to dodge as the gurgling espresso machine threatened to do it a second time. While the machine made a series of groans and spewed out even more steam, Aoba grabbed one of the small cups from behind him, putting it on the tray underneath the nozzle of the machine before pulling the lever.

The great thing sputtered again before dark liquid began spewing down into the tiny cup. When it was full and he let go of the lever, the machine made an unholy grating noise as he picked up the cup and dumped it a slightly larger mug he had off to the side which already held a small amount of hot water in it.

Aoba smiled, picking the mug up by the handle and bringing it up to the pick-up line with a patient Koujaku waiting there on the other side.

"One americano. No sugar, no cream." he announced, sliding the drink to his friend and Koujaku beamed at him.

It always seemed that when Koujaku came in to Aoba's work, he made sure that it was at a time when practically no one else was around. The coffee shop that day was as dead as any other early Tuesday afternoon, only a couple of people taking up tables with their books and laptops, obviously taking advantage of the quiet and free wifi. It wasn't always like this. In fact, most of the time when Aoba was working, they were tight on seating inside and out, even to the point where standing room sometimes was scarce. So on peaceful, slow days like this, it was always nice for Koujaku to come in to help ease the time along.

It was one of the few times they could hang out without him trying to experiment on Aoba's head.

"Ah, thank you Aoba. You're coffee is the best in all of Midorijima. I look forward to it all the time." his friend said as he leaned on the counter with his elbows, stooping down to blow the surface of the cup.

Aoba couldn't help but to roll his eyes, picking up a wash rag and moving to clean off the espresso machine as it dripped excess from the nozzle.

"I doubt that." he said in a dead pan tone, wiping down the shiny brass before moping up the small puddle that had accumulated on the tray. Koujaku smiled brightly, using the same tone he used to flirt with woman so Aoba automatically knew what was coming out of his mouth was over exacerbated bullshit.

"Ah, but it is! You shouldn't doubt your skill so much Aoba, I think you're close to being a master at your trade." he said, picking the mug up and taking the first sip of the bitter drink. Aoba just looked at his friend, blinking slowly as he wondered if Koujaku forgot who he was talking to.

"Riiiiiiight. Don't you have to go TA for that cuticle class or something instead of hanging out here?" Aoba asked, not bothering to hide the snark in his tone.

It wasn't that he didn't like Koujaku's company, but his coworker was going to be back from her break soon, and he'd really rather not have the dude all over her while they were supposed to be working. Koujaku's expression changed, the smile dropping and a genuine look of confusion covering it instead.

"Why Aoba, if I didn't know better I would say you don't want me here. What if I want to order another one of your amazing coffee's? Just because I have class doesn't mean I can't make time for my best friend." he rationed, blinking more than necessary while answering.

"I didn't know that you were meeting someone here. Do I know them?" Aoba asked, his tone nor face shifting as he continued to wipe away at the counters. Koujaku laughed brightly at his retort and Aoba let the corner of his mouth perk up. They talked for another couple of minutes while Aoba worked aimlessly around the kitchen until his coworker came back to which he forced Koujaku out of the shop before anything happened, but not without the promise of him coming back after Aoba's shift was over.

They had plans later that night to catch a movie with Mizuki and drinks afterward, so Koujaku said he would swing back by so neither of them would have to walk to Mizuki's tattoo shop by themself. The afternoon continued to move at a snails pace, only picking up sometime after four when Aoba changed positions from working the coffee counter to waiting on tables.

The coffee shop also doubled as a bakery and restaurant, nothing too fancy though other than simple soups and sandwiches on the menu, but Aoba enjoyed it. His boss and other coworkers were okay and he liked the constant smell of fresh bread and pastries baking in the kitchen.

Most of the customers were college kids like himself since the shop was right in the middle of the three major colleges in the city, his and Koujaku's included. Sometimes he would recognize people that he'd seen around his campus and classes. Other times, there were students that Koujaku had managed to convince him to let expiriement and work on his hair. It was about thirty minutes into him waiting on customers when he noticed one familiar brightly colored being standing at the coffee counter.

He moved behind the bar, waving and smiling at the person as he began filling an order, to which a slight, upward tilt of the head was the response back. Aoba turned his attention to what he was working on, slipping the order paper to the cooking area and started arranging things on the tray.

"Hey." Aoba looked up when he heard the familiar voice to see Noiz looking at him through the array of machines on the counter.

"Hey Noiz, what's up?" he asked, finishing up the drinks he had been working on and picked up the tray. Noiz shrugged, eyes darting around the shop as he spoke.

"Are you doing anything after work?" he asked as Aoba moved from behind the counter, trying to comfortably balance the tray in his hands.

"Uh, yeah, I told you yesterday, I'm going to see a movie with Koujaku and Mizuki. I even asked you if you wanted to go with us."

"Mm, sure. Well we're going to a Scratch show tonight." Noiz was now moving with Aoba as he walked the order outside, but stopped in the open door to look back at Noiz.

"What? No, we're not man, I already promised Koujaku I'd go with him tonight." Aoba told him, turning back around as he continued outside.

It was pleasant out that day, with a slight breeze every now and again. Even though they were so close to the ocean, the buildings in the downtown area Aoba's work was in blocked the ocean breeze, so it was nice when the wind swept through to help beat back the late summer sun.

"Really? Well that's just too bad. I don't see why breaking one little promise is such a big deal to go see this show." he said as Aoba reached the customers table. He gave them their drinks and spoke with them pleasantly when he told them their order would be out in a bit before turning back to Noiz who had been close by his side the entire time. Aoba rolled his eyes, tucking the tray underneath his arm as he began to walk back. Once again Noiz was on his heels.

"I'm not breaking my promise, Noiz. You can go all you want, but you knew I had plans tonight." he said it with determination, not letting the blond bastard get his way this time. When it came to Koujaku and Noiz, it was a constant bullshit rivalry between the two of them and Aoba absolutely refused to get in between it. Most of the time Koujaku was good at keeping it between just the two of them, but Noiz tried to get Aoba involved in some sort of backwards way all the time, even if the attempt wasn't always obvious.

Aoba was back behind the counter again, but only to set down the tray and grab a few menus for customers who'd just come in and were already sitting down. Aoba heard Noiz suck his teeth, but he didn't follow him this time and he was thankful for it.

Noiz had a bad habit of following Aoba around when he came to visit him at work, even when they were really busy and Aoba was running around all over, which is why he was glad most of the time Noiz only came in on the days they didn't have class, which wasn't often. He took care of the customers, stopping by some of the other tables really quick before returning to behind the counter where Noiz was waiting on the other side. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward as he put customers orders together as Noiz stood on the other side, especially since he didn't look up to see if Noiz was looking at him, which he sure he was. After leaving to take another table its order and coming back did it occur to Aoba what Noiz was doing, mostly because he saw one of his other coworkers behind the bar hit up three different syrup stations for one large cup.

"Did you order another of those horrendous creations of yours?" Aoba groaned as the bell for a finished order rang and he turned to take care of it. The noise in the little coffee shop had grown immensely so he could barely hear Noiz when he answered him.

"You're not the one drinking it so I don't know why you're complaining." he said as the monstrous thing was finished and the worker put it on the pick-up counter for him.

Aoba was busy putting an order together so when he eventually looked back up, he didn't see Noiz standing there anymore. Quickly scanning around the shop, he saw that the guy wasn't anywhere to be seen and Aoba rolled his eyes before focusing back on his work.

Typical.

Noiz only acted like that when he didn't get his way, though it wasn't any different than how he normally acted, so nothing of note there. It was just a way to show Aoba he was displeased as though it was his fault that he couldn't go with him tonight to Mink's show.

He was kinda glad, truth be told.

Not that he didn't like the band's music, it just wasn't what he normally tended to listen to and Noiz always dragged Aoba right in front, so afterward Aoba would have a terrible headache.

It was a couple of minutes after Noiz left when Aoba's manager finally came in. He tended to spend most of the day in an office in the back of the kitchen when it wasnt too busy, but today he was just coming in to cover a night shift. Haga owned the coffee shop and was a great boss by Aoba's standards.

He was sort of chatty and liked talking to the customers inside if it were a slow day and would work the coffee machine expertly in times like these where it was terribly busy. Aoba was plating an order when he slipped behind the counter, offering a pleasant hello and head nod at him, to which Aoba returned as he moved around him to take the order out. When he came back, Haga was working the espresso machine, the line to the counter now almost out the door and only a two tables outside empty.

Aoba was waiting on an order to be finished when Haga addressed him and Aoba shifted sides to stand next to him while he waited.

"Aoba, how are we doing today?" the man asked as the steam from the machine fogged up his thick glasses, but didnt slow hinder him to finish the drink. Aoba gave him the number of customers they had along with their best selling items that day as well with how many people asked about the specials that were listed on a chalkboard outside.

The entire time Haga nodded and listened to Aoba speak, only asking specifics when Aoba was done.

When every base was covered, Aoba's order was ready. But as he was trying to walk out of the coffee bar area, Haga stopped him by lightly grabbing Aoba's smock with his gloved hand, bring his face close to Aoba's ear, the sudden proximity enough to send a slight shiver down his neck.

"Aoba, how long has he been here?" the question confused him for a moment, not being able to tell exactly who Haga was talking about because his glasses were still fogged up, but after looking around the shop for a moment, he immediatley knew who he was talking about.

He did a time table in his head quickly, honestly not surprised when figured it out that the answer was a couple of hours, since before Koujaku was in there to be precise.

"For a little while." he answered, knowing if he told Haga how long exactly that he would have him ask the person of interest to leave.

Haga grunted, letting go of Aoba's smock and some of the tension went out of Aoba's shoulders as he was able to stand straight again, the tray of food still in hands as they both looked at the same man.

The guy spent a lot of time at the coffeeshop, but rarely came inside. He liked to sit outside in the same spot everytime he did show up, always in the shade of the shop and a tree that was planted in a small plot of the concrete right beyond the gated seating section.

He never ordered anything unless prompted to do so, which is what Aoba was guessing Haga wanted him to do. Aoba had never had to say anything to the guy before, it was typically left to whoever was covering that section of outside seating, which he hadn't before tonight. The only reason why he was even doing it tonight was because the other waiter had called out, leaving him to run frantically like he was.

"You want me to take care of him sir?" he asked finally, looking over at Haga to see if his expression changed any.

"Thank you Aoba." was all Haga said in response, so Aoba took that as an affirmative.

He took the order to the waiting customers, apologizing for the wait before grabbing up their menu's and heading outside.

Now that he looked, the line to the counter was extending outside of the door just a bit, which made him only more incredulous of the guy just sitting in the corner table in the late afternoon sun. He made his way over, subconsciously wondering why the dude was wearing a scarf in this weather, but then decided it wasnt his place and it would be rude to ask. Aoba walked up to the side of the table, feeling a little weary to be bothering the guy.

Especially since it didn't seem like he noticed Aoba coming up to him.

"So are you going to order something or what?" the sentence sort of blurted out of Aoba's mouth, the man jumping a little bit when he realized there was someone standing next to him, "We kinda need the extra seating, buddy."

Aoba then moved to motion to the line which had added at least three more people to its end since he last looked.

The guy didnt say anything and Aoba couldnt tell whether or not it was because he was still surprised or if he didn't know what to say. It didnt help that most of his face was covered in the giant scarf, dark glasses on top of that, and then a wide brimmed hat to finish off the combo.

Aoba raised his eyebrows, hoping to elicit some sort of answer out of him. Suddenly the guy stood up, surprising Aoba probably as much as he had him a moment ago, forcing him to take a step back because he didnt think the dude would be that tall.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'll be going, I lost track of time, really I-" his voice had a nice tone to it, but was muffled by the scarf around his mouth and Aoba moved his hands up, smiling softely at the guy. In truth, he didn't want the guy to feel like he had to leave and a part of him felt a twinge of guilt.

"Hey man, you don't have to leave, you just gotta order something or I think my boss will want me to kick you out." he said, awkwardly scratching his neck. He didn't know why he wasn't just escourting him out since that's what Haga obviously wanted if the guy was just going to sit there.

"No, no it's okay, I really do have to go. Thank you for letting me stay here for as long as I was. I apologize again." the guy did a slight bow, making Aoba feel even more awkward and guilty because he didnt know how to respond.

Nor was he given the chance.

When he stood up straight, the guy just walked around Aoba, telling him to have a good evening before leaving through a gate in the fence. Aoba stood there for a moment, slightly confused in the brief interaction, but shrugged it off before returning to Haga to tell him and then getting back to work.

The rest of the night went on without a hitch. Koujaku came in again after it had gotten dark, ordering another one of his coffees before they left and began their walk to Mizuki's shop. It wasnt that far away from the main district near where Aoba worked and they talked pleasantly along the way, Aoba slightly mentioning Noiz's discrepencies earlier, but played it off as a laugh so Koujaku wouldn't get too heated. Really, the only reason why he told him was so it didn't came back to bite him later and he was glad when Koujaku just laughed when he told him.

They got to Mizuki's shop, the three sharing a cab to the theater since it was a bit farther away and neither Mizuki or Aoba felt like walking after working all day. The movie itself was bare since it was a week night and so they spent the entire time talking and poking fun at the movie rather then really watching it. Afterward sharing another cab back to Mizuki's for drinks, it starting to drizzle on the way there despite the cloudless afternoon they had just had.

Aoba didn't mind spending the cab fee since it was being split three ways and reasoned with it now because of the rain. Plus, he made plenty of tips that night for him to buy a new software program he had been eyeing for a little while.

He definitely felt better since he started working at Haga's coffee shop even though it had only been about three weeks or so. Before he had worked a lot of odd jobs where he could pick them up, but nothing ever stable until this one. It had been enough over the summer to pay for his semester at MCC without him having to ask his grandma or the bank for a loan, which was a lot different than his first year. But now that working there was going so well, he'd be able to start paying back some of his debts.

He spent the next two hours at Mizuki's place before decided to run home when the rain hadn't let up. Koujaku had gotten a little bit too tipsy and passed out on the couch there, where as Aoba only had one drink just to be social about it. He'd been worried about him, but Mizuki told him it wasn't the first time it had happened, which really shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was, but it made him feel better about leaving him there over night.

When he got home, the entire house was dark, which told him that his grandma was probably making a house call and took solace in the quiet after such a noisy afternoon. The tiny amount of alcohol he had made him feel too out of it to actually eat something, so instead he opted out for a hot shower now that the chill of rain had seeped through his clothes and into his bones. 

The shower had been exactly what he needed, his entire body feeling pleasantly numb as he walked into his dark room with nothing but boxers on, working through his hair to get most of the moisture out of it. The sound of the rain had gotten considerably louder since he'd gotten home and he opened the door to the veranda to see how bad it was. Light from the houses across the street flooded in the room when the sounds of rain washed in the room, making enough of a din to stir a little furry blue lump on Aoba's bed.

Ren looked to Aoba, opening it's tiny mouth in a yawn as Aoba slightly smiled, his finger slowly shaking the bottom of his hair of water. He took in the sight of the rain, some of it accumulating on the edge of the veranda in a puddle, soft drips slowly making their way into it. It was peaceful and Aoba couldn't help but feel the exhaustion now. He finished drying his hair, throwing the towel in front of his closet before shutting the veranda door. He kneeled on his bed, scooping Ren into his arms before laying down. He could feel the soft sandpaper flick of a tongue on his chin as the dog setting on him before the pulls of sleep enticed him fully.


	2. Fallacies of the Education System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Typical nonsense that is Aoba Seragaki's life and the general motions of things at Midorijima Comminuty.

The faint sound of the alarm penetrated the stupor of sleep, causing Aoba to groan loudly as he blearily opened his eyes. It continued the staccato beeping as his one hand groped and slapped around, trying to find the damn thing while burying his face into his pillow, mentally willing the morning light away.

He made contact with something solid, pausing only to slam his fist down where the approximate location of the snooze button might be. It proved correctly to be his clock and whether the hit broke the device when his fist landed, he didn't know, but the damned thing quit it's beeping for a bit while longer and was content in just that.

He almost even got a few more moments of rest as well, but then a loud rapping followed by the voice of his grandmother to get his ass out of bed or he'd be late again came through the other side of his door.

Another groan ripped out of his throat as he raised his head, looking at the alarm to see it was a good hour before his first class. Which meant if he didn't get up now he'd miss the bus.

"Shit shit shit shit shit." he muttered, letting for of the vice grip he had on the pillow beneath him before rolling out of his bed and onto the cold hardwood floor.

"GET MOVING AOBA." his grandmothers voice came from downstairs now, accompanied by the thud of another door, which most likely meant she'd left the house. As soon as he was sure that he was alone, blinking away the remnants of sleep as he stared at the ceiling, there was a sudden weight on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Jesus Ren!" he let out with his voice caught in his throat, the fluff of fur standing on his belly currently pawing at him with his little pink tongue sticking out. Sometimes he was pretty sure the only reason why the little dog survived was because it was so damn cute.

Aoba rolled his eyes before putting the picking the dog up, only to set it down on the floor as he tried to stand with some sort of stability while his body insisted it was still asleep. This caused him to ram into the door frame after flinging it open.

He hissed in pain, grabbing the shoulder with his other hand as he stumbled into the hallway, now set on making it to the bathroom without killing himself in the process.

After splashing cold water on his face, he brushed his teeth while trying to comb through his hair at the same time before stripping off the t-shirt and jeans he'd worn the day before an passed out in, tossing them in the hamper in the corner of the bathroom. The pile itself was about to collapse, which he added that to the mental checklist of things to do along with taking a shower later. Once he was done in the bathroom, it took him a couple of minutes to find a clean t-shirt and pants, opting for braiding his hair while he was on the bus so it wouldn't look dirty as the day progressed.

He was downstairs and out the door within five minutes after getting dressed, having grabbed an orange on his way out to serve as his breakfast. But once he got outside he let out a huge groan before running back inside.

The rain from the night before hadn't subsided whatsoever. The excess that was running off the roof formed a heavy waterfall which he broke through when he opened the umbrella he had grabbed from the rack near the door. Once making sure that the door was shut and locked behind him, he left the property, starting the harrowing journey to school.

The bus system had always run a little funny in his neighborhood, some days picking him up right on time, others not so much. And then there were some days where it totally skipped him and he had to run to school. Luckily though, today was not one of those days. It was running a little late, with the ancient thing slowly crawling to a stop in front of the bus stop, a wave of water trekking behind it and washing forward once it did halt. Aoba had been waiting a few minutes with a couple of other people, almost all of whom were not college students since this bus was designed for the city and not the school's use.

He sat near the middle of the bus next to a window, watching as the gloomy buildings began to rumble past. While pulling a hairband from his wrist to begin braiding, he could feel the phone in his pocket go off. He pulled it out while holding the hairband in his mouth, running the fingers on the other hand gently as he read the text, before responding back as quickly as he could with only one hand.

                             

                                                   **From Noiz :**

**ey nerd, you comin to school today**

  
** To Noiz:**

**Yeah im on my bus now. Why?**

 

When he was done braiding and securing it his phone went off again. Honestly, he was surprised that Noiz was even talking to him after yesterday at the coffee shop. He'd figure Noiz would be annoyed with him for the next day or so before speaking a word to him, so immediately Aoba was weary of whatever his friend was going to text him about next.

 

  ** From Noiz:**

**ur not working later, right**

 

This only further proved his suspicion, Aoba squinting at his phone while tapping out a reply.

 

** To Noiz:**

**No, i dont get out of class until 5**

 

Aoba waited patiently for the next text, knowing it was probably nothing good headed his way. While he waited, he got out his headphones and plugged them into his phone, choosing something upbeat since it was going to be a long day and needed the little push. When the music dimmed out and played a high pitched note before cutting back to the full volume of music, he knew Noiz had replied, so he checked his phone reluctantly, one eyebrow raised high as he read the screen.

 

                                                    ** From Noiz:**

**ur coming over then when ur done**

  
"Fuck." he breathed out, rolling his eyes as his arm went limp with the phone still in it.  _Why this._ Squeezing his eyes shut for a second, he ran through all of the possible ways he could get out of it and not make it totally obvious he wasn't down for whatever the sick fuck had planned. He pressed his forehead against the cool glass, opening his eyes to see racing droplets fall slowly as the bus made a stop. Figuring there was no other option, he decided that he would suck it up and go to Noiz's dorm, partly because he felt bad for not hanging out with Noiz last night (even though he knew he shouldn't, Aoba still did because that's just how he was), the other part being that if he was with Noiz, it could greatly reduce the amount of damage the kid did to himself and those around him with whatever event he had Aoba coming over for.

 

                                                        **To Noiz :**

**Fine, but youre buying me coffee**

An uneasy knot settled in Aoba's stomach, remembering the last time with the gummy bears and no one ever needed a repeat of that. Especially not the other unfortunate souls who lived in the same dorm complex as Noiz and had to deal with the consequences when damage was done to the building just as much as Noiz did.

It was another ten minutes or so before the bus rumbled in front of the school's campus, turning into the round-about and stopping at the bus stop.

Aoba opened his umbrella as he got off, the rain a bit lighter now than it had been only making light plops on the umbrella as he made his way to his first class, which his watch declared wouldn't be starting for another ten minutes. With the bus being only a little late and him getting to school with plenty of time (other than the uncertainty of whatever Noiz had planned later) the day was going pretty well so far. His Wednesday classes mostly consisted of computer designs along with some electives he had to take for his major course. They really weren't needed, but it was nice to have breaks in between for easy work.

When he got into the lecture hall, he noticed that he was one of the first few there, taking the time he had to get settled and check his email. He noted that Noiz hadn't sent him a reply yet, but he turned his phone on silent just in case, tucking it into his messenger bag as he got out the rest of his supplies for class.

Class started on time and went pretty quickly all things considered. He got more notes and key points for his final project that wasn't due until before winter break, but he liked to make sure to stay on big projects like that to make sure he didn't leave it all for the last minute and it end up being shit. He did have scholarships he had to maintain.

When class let out, he was glad to see the rain had stopped, the sun now throwing soft beams through gaps of dark clouds. The wind had picked up, making the humidity not as horrible, but moisture in the air still made his skin feel disgusting the second he walked outdoors. It just made him all the more thankful to have his hair in a braid so it didn't puff out.

He was on the way to his second class when he realized someone was standing very close behind him.

Aoba turned to see a broad chest about a foot away from him, making him jump slightly before looking up at the persons face. Mink loomed over him, looking between a mixture pissed and bored as always and Aoba stopped walking, making the giant follow suit.

"Hey man, you startled me there." Aoba smiled lightly at the guy, but then realized he didn't know how to follow that because he didn't really what to say to Mink. They were associated through Noiz because they lived in the same building and he and Aoba had maybe met a grand total of three times outside of Aoba's work, not including this. Mink would sometimes come into Haga's coffee shop, order a plan white coffee, then jip the condiments counter of its cinnamon. Seriously though, the dude would just dump the entire container of cinnamon into his coffee. But other than that, they hadn't really seen each other enough times to talk that much

Well Mink didn't talk a whole lot anyways.

And it seemed to Aoba is was like that with him no matter who Mink was around.

Just like now, with the two of them standing on the damp side walk not saying anything with Aoba slowly becoming more aware of how strange it was. And he was about to say something, but then Mink held out his hand and Aoba finally took note that he had a coffee pointed in his direction.

"Noiz asked me to give this to you." Aoba blinked down, words lost as he lightly took the travel mug out of Mink's hand before looking back up at him.

"I'm taking it he told you about later?" he wasn't sure if it was an question or not, but Aoba shook his head no and Mink took a deep inhale of air before facing away.

"Guessing you know what's going on then?" Aoba asked, putting his lips to the lip of the plastic and blowing, not knowing how hot the coffee was, but would rather risk having cold coffee than a scalded tongue.

Mink's eyes flicked back over to him and Aoba skewed an eyebrow at him, waiting on the answer and didn't have time right then to piss around. His eyes moved away again as his stance shifted, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, I do. Just try to be on time." he said, suddenly dropping his arms and walking past Aoba. Aoba looked at the guy walking away from him, his expression delving into that of disbelief and aversion. Some part of him just wanted to forgot tonight based solely on that, but he knew that Noiz wouldn't talk to him for the next week if he didn't show up to whatever the fuck was going on. Aoba instead shook his head and sipped lightly at the drink, finding it to be strong with a little sugar to help it go down. He normally drank his coffee like this, but not quiet as strong. Still, free coffee was free coffee. He continued to sip it on the way to class, getting there just before the lesson started.

The rest of the day passed by with relative normality. He texted Noiz more during lunch, trying to pry out of him just what in the hell he was planning, only to get a winky face in return every single time. Koujaku texted him as well and reported that he was recovering from his hangover at school and Mizuki wanted them to come back to the tattoo parlour that Friday night again, to which Aoba said he'd have to think about it. He grabbed a small lunch from the cafeteria in between classes, which he spent the time reviewing from the last lesson outside on one of the benches around campus, trying to enjoy the weather before it decided to start raining again.

It felt like forever when five o'clock finally rolled around, the afternoon positively zapping him of what little energy the coffee had given him.

The clouds were rolling over the sun when he walked to the dorms that Noiz and Mink lived in. He'd called his grandma while walking, wanting to tell her that he'd be home a little later and to see if he needed to pick up anything on the way back, but he got the answering machine on her cell phone (typical) and on the house phone (probably still out on a call). He'd still left a message on both, telling her where he'd be at and that he wouldn't be too long. He didn't want to worry her anymore than need be.

When he finally got to the building, he checked in with the reception desk when he spotted both Noiz and Mink standing around in the lobby area, currently caught up in what seemed to be an intense conversation. Well, as intense as two sour-face teenagers could be.

Once again, Aoba had the fleeting thought to cut off whatever plans they had completely, just to duck out of the door like he'd never been there in the first place. He did think about it for a good minute, honest, but then Noiz looked over, he knew his fate was sealed. The brightly dressed teen waved him over, causing Mink to turn around and notice him as well, which gave Aoba the profound urge to roll his eyes as he walked over to them.

"Okay, I'm here. What's going on?" he asked, giving a vague wide-armed motion as he looked between the two of them. They looked at each other, then looked to Aoba. Mink crossed his arms, looking away from Aoba just like earlier. _Either it's a mannuerism or he's doesn't like me_ , Aoba lamented silently. Noiz slightly smirked at Mink's reaction, looking from Mink to Aoba again.

"Mink needs a second opinion on something." Noiz answered, Mink's face visibly tightening when he did and Aoba almost let out a groan because he should've fucking known.

If he knew anything about Mink, it was two things. One, he used too much cinnamon powder in his coffee to be healthy, and Two, he took his music and his art too seriously. The last time they asked him to do this, the pile of junk he'd cram together was supposed to be a 'raw visual representation of the brutal advance of technology over nature', which Aoba had to admit, was kinda neat and he could kinda see what the dude was talking about, but still. Even then he'd been lost as to why they had asked him to help out, but he didn't bother asking now because all it would do was make Mink make that annoyed pinched scowl and for Noiz to suck his teeth like a 12 year old. Which was inevitable in of itself, but he tried to avoid those looks as much as possible.

Aoba couldn't help an eye-roll. He was relieved it wasn't anything else though. He would rather critic Mink's art any day over almost getting killed over one of Noiz's botched science experiments. Or get into another fight because Noiz couldn't leave shit alone. Last thing he needed was another fresh batch of bruises when the old ones were just now healing.

"Sure, fine. I'll help you out," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Noiz's small smirk widen while still looking over at Mink, whose expression now looked even more bored than normal if it was possible, "Where is it this time?"

Turns out it was in Noiz's dorm of all places, a room which Aoba had only been in a handful of times before when they'd worked on projects together, and that was only because Noiz refused to work on the old monitors Aoba had at his house even though they were in perfect condition despite their age.

When they walked in, the first thing Aoba could detect out of the gloom was the faint smell of pot, which really wasn't a surprise but a bit annoying since the smell always gave him a headache. He didn't say anything about it as they all piled in the doorway and Noiz flicked on the light. Aoba saw it immediately, going wide eyed and taking an involuntary step backwards, bumping the other two.

"W-what in the hell is that?" he asked, his limbs flying everywhere to block the image of the thing.

It looked _alive_.

"The shit's freaky as hell and I've had it in my room for about a week now for some goddamn reason." Noiz said, looking down at the thing from Aoba's right side.

"How could you even sleep with it in here!"

"It's the interpretation of what poaching has done to birds over the years."

"Dude, what the fuck!"

"I'm gonna burn it."

 

The horrific vision of the cockatoo which had been made out of various foliage, paper, and plastic parts but had been crafted in a way which its 'wings' were spread out and its beak broken open with bright pink streamers falling out plagued Aobe for rest of the week, althought it went on without another incident in the like.

He had class the next day as well, but only from 11 in the morning to 2, so it didn't drain him as nearly as Wednesday's did. He spent most of the afternoon working on homework and papers that were due the next week, then Friday he had work in the afternoon, so he spent the morning sleeping. The rain had lifted sometime Thursday night, so when Aoba went outside on Friday, he couldn't help but stand in the early afternoon sun to take in its warmth. It was almost a cloudless day, save for a few small dollaps that drifting across the sky every now and then. The humidity had broken along with the rain and a gentle breeze had taken over the suffocating moisture, brushing Aoba's dark skin every time a small gust swept through.

Checking his watch, he had enough time to walk to work instead of waiting for the bus.

It wasn't a long way away, it just took a little while to get there because of all the different buildings and roads and alleys which made it a bit of a journey unless walking along the main road. Normally he would've used the GPS on his phone, but was now confident that he knew the route enough to where he wouldn't get lost. Some cynical part of him thought that growing up on the same island would make someone a pro at navigating their way around, but the way the island was with its ongoing construction and endless mazes of buildings a streets, it was near impossible.

While he was walking, he only managed to get lost once and made one wrong turn into a dead end, but that was the most of it and it didn't take him long to fix. He didn't really mind all that much either since the day was so nice. He thought faintly of a trip to the beach before the season ended and wondered if Koujaku or Noiz would be interested in going. He could very well invite Mizuki too, but he was really busy of late with his apprentice work and most of the time couldn't hang out until the late evenings. Aoba decided he would bring it up in hopes Mizuki could get a day off if given enough time in advance. With Koujaku and Noiz, he would talk to them both to see if there was any way they could maybe not quarrel for a day.

The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him and he wondered if he could actually pull it off.

The thoughts carried him to work with a slight smile on his face. He looked at the customers sitting outside and saw that they weren't really busy since a lot of the tables were vacant. Aoba's eyes caught the image of soft white and he looked to see the man with the wide-brimmed hat sitting at the same table underneath the shade. For some reason, it made him laugh a little bit and he was half-tempted to wave to the guy, but then stopped himself when he remembered he knew exactly zero about him.

Certainly not enough for a wave.

Aoba went in and started up at the coffee counter again once he clocked in and ditched his stuff in the break room. Haga was working in the back today like normal and they had two servers running around so everything was going pretty easily. As time went on there came a steady pace of customers, enough to make Aoba and the other person behind the coffee counter stay busy and it wasn't until after Aoba got off his break that things just sort of exploded. Luckily the third barista came in to offer some help and keep the rhythm of service going. Haga came out of his office then, greeting Aoba and the other servers while they continued to work. It was pretty typical for Haga to come out in times like this to make sure everything was going well and no customer was going unnoticed. Aoba and the others worked swiftly around him while he stood there. Aoba didn't think anything about it until he looked up and saw that Haga's face was slightly red and his lips were pursed.

"That young man is here again." he said without looking at Aoba and he wondered if Haga even knew that he was looking at him since he was standing behind him.

Aoba looked and sure enough, the guy in the white was still sitting at the table outside with nothing on it.

"How long has he been here?" Haga asked and Aoba knew that if he told him the truth he would want to kick the guy out without even attempting to see if he wanted anything. And it was true that if the guy actually wanted to order something, he would've a long time ago, but Aoba didn't want to lie, especially not to Haga.

"I don't know exactly, sir. Would you want m-" answered one of the other barista's, but then Haga cut them off.

"Could you please take care of him, Aoba?" Haga asked, face still locked forward with intent. Aoba looked to the guy outside again back to Haga before telling his boss he would. He grabbed a menu from off to the side of the counter before passing through it and made his way through customers. Some part of him found it odd that Haga asked him to wait on the guy considering they had all their servers here today, but then part of him recalled the last time he was sent to do the same thing, resulting with the guy just getting up and leaving. And Aoba knew right then that that was what Haga was wanting, but Aoba would still at least try.

When he went outside, he pulled the server out there aside and asked if he'd waited on the customer in questions table. The server told him that he asked the man twice within the past hour if he'd like anything, both times with the answer being no before just letting him sit there. Aoba nodded to show he understood before walking over to the table, holding the menu he had in his hands to his chest. Again, the guy's glasses and scarf made it hard to see his face so Aoba was slightly surprised when he looked up at him when he came over this time.

"Hey, did you want to order anything?" Aoba asked, trying to be a tad bit more polite than he was last time. He watched as the guy nodded, using a gloved finger to slightly pull down the scarf from right beneath his nose to where only the top lip of his mouth was showing.

"Could I have a small earl grey please?" he asked in which he guessed he was looking at Aoba, but couldn't be sure because of the sunglasses. Aoba smiled at him.

"Of course, I'll be back in a minute with it." he responded before walking away from the table and going back inside. He slipped back behind the bar to make the drink, the smile still on his face when he told Haga that the guy had ordered something, which made his bosses face turn a little less red, but lips still pursed nonetheless.

Aoba made the drink quickly, running it back outside with the check taped to the side of the cup. When he sat it down in front of him, he watched with intent curiosity as he pulled down the scarf again, thanking Aoba before pulling the scarf down more to where now both lips and partly his chin was exposed. Aoba noted subconsciously the two moles underneath the left side of his lips, watching as he took a sip of the drink. It brought a small smile to those lips and something about it made Aoba feel happy as the guy turned back to Aoba.

"Thank you very much." he said softly and Aoba waved it off.

"No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know." he said, turning away from him and going back inside.

He didn't realize the din inside was starting to get to him, hitting Aoba full force the second he walked back inside. He returned behind the counter, putting the menu in its spot before taking on the next set of customers orders. Haga was still standing there, but was now helping with order as well before passing them along to the others there working. It wasn't until he was shifted over to the register some time later that he noticed it had gotten dark outside. His headache was now in full storm, but he kept smiling and doing what he was supposed to do without trying to let it affect him too much. He only had a couple of minutes left before Koujaku was going to pick him up before heading to Mizuki's, but he wasn't too sure that he was going to make it through hanging with them tonight.

Haga told him to take about three more customers orders before letting someone else take over, then he could clock out. It just happened to be his last customer that surprised him, seeing a slight smile aimed at him with a scarf pulled down almost completely, exposing most of the pale face as he slipped the paper receipt towards Aoba, using his index and middle finger on both hands to do so. Aoba smiled back, asking him if he found everything okay as he rang up the balance.

"It was delightful. Thank you again." the guy said as Aoba told him his total and he handed him it in small bills. As the guy walked away, he turned to offer Aoba a small wave, to which Aoba returned as he moved around the cashier taking over for him. When he got to the back, he clocked out and grabbed his bag. Grabbing a small tube of medicine out of his bag, he popped two pills dry while leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath and wait for his headache to subside a little.

He decided to take the back way out instead of trying to fight the small mob inside the coffee shop, knowing going back out there would only make his head pound even more than it was now. It took a couple of minutes, but he'd settled down enough to where he could see straight again and not feel the urge to vomit. When he got outside, he took out his phone and texted Koujaku to see where he was. The air had cooled considerably, prompting to take out the sweater he'd stuffed into his bag before he left his house that morning. Somehow he was able to maneuver around the strap of his bag while keeping it on, taking his hair down out if pony tail when he was done since it'd taken considerably damage during the debacle. Once he made sure his clothing was straight, he began walking to where Koujaku said he was. He continued to text him and answer the texts Noiz had sent him during work while he walked, making sure to glance up every once in a while to keep from bumping into people. The night time air helped clear his head a little, the pain not as bad as it had been just a couple of minutes ago.

When he caught up to Koujaku, he was surprised to see Mizuki with him and they decided to go get something to eat before heading to the tattoo parlour.

That was the last point which Aoba remembered when he woke up the next morning on the floor of his bedroom, his headache having returned with a vengeance, and his phone was going off. Some part of him never wanted to move another inch in his entire life another part of him knew that the call he was getting was probably really important. The latter part had more will than the previous, his one hand grabbing the phone and answering without looking at who was calling. Aoba rolled over onto his back, realizing it was a mistake when light decided to viciously attack his cornea's and he quickly used the crook of his other arm to cover his eyes as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked after clearing his throat.

"Aobaaaa, good morning!" it was Haga, immediately prompting Aoba to think _oh shit_ , "Are you coming into work today? I thought I had you scheduled for the 11 to 5 shift." Aoba rolled himself to sit up, his body disagreeing quite adamantly at the sudden action.

"Yes, yes I am. I'm so sorry Haga, I'll be there as quick as I can." he answered, screwing the palm of his hand into on of his shut eyes to decrease some of the tension there.

"Ah, no worries, you're not late or anything, I just wanted to check to see if you were still coming in because I need you to close tonight." relief filled his bones when Haga said that, his one eye opening to look at the clock next to his door, seeing it was around nine thirty in the morning.

"Of course, I can do that." he said just as his stomach decided it didn't like that response and whatever substance he had in his stomach had to pay the price. He emptied his stomach contents into a waste bin he had next to the bed, which he tried to ignore had more than just his vomit from right then in it. He'd pointed the phone away from the sounds of sickness coming out of his mouth, but he could here Haga calling his name as he gulped in deep breathes.

"I'm here Haga, sorry about that."

"Aoba, are you sure you're well enough to come in today? You looked a little sick yesterday before you left. You haven't caught anything, have you?" Haga's bright voice was lined with concern, which only made Aoba feel guilty as he dry heaved into the waste bin.

"I-I'm fine. I'll be in at 11." he said, wiping the grim off his lips with the back of his hand as he slumped back into the cold floor.

"Alright Aoba, I'll see you then." his boss sounded weary of it, but Aoba just continued to confirm it while mentally building up the strength to stand up. It was about ten minutes after they'd hung up when he finally got there, having to shuffle his way over to the wall and hold onto his dresser to do so. When he finally got there, he looked around his room, noticing a body on his bed which looked about as sick as he felt even though it was heavily sleeping. He thought then he had no clue how he even made it home the night before, much less how Koujaku made it with him, but he put those thoughts aside to figure out later.

Right then, he needed a shower and a revaluation of his life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleeeergh, i was hoping to be finished with this days ago, but i had unscheduled work again so i didnt get a chance. Good thing is that as far as i know, I have all next week off, so ill be mostly working on writing and planning. thanks again guys and i hope you enjoyed!


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